Approval for Ohio aid allows West Carrollton to prep for rebuilding
Community forum May 8 will discuss possible school designs.
WEST CARROLLTON — Residents in the West Carrollton school district will soon get a chance to find out more about how much new schools would cost them and how those buildings could be designed.
District officials have scheduled a community forum May 8 after announcing West Carrollton’s acceptance into the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission building program.
The state approval is described by district officials as a major funding hurdle for a project estimated to cost between $125 million and $140 million.
The forum at West Carrollton High School will include Superintendent Andrea Townsend, Business Manager Jack Haag and Wayne Colman of Garmann Miller Architects, the consulting firm hired by the board of education.
The aim is “to provide a presentation of what new buildings could look like as well as a financial picture of state funding,” according to the school district.
“Presenters will detail our status in the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission process and outline the next steps for the district,” Haag said in an email. “This meeting will not only provide information, but generate feedback from the community.”
The district - which includes parts of Miami Twp. and Moraine – “is excited to accept opportunity to enter” the state’s Expedited Local Partnership Program with the construction commission, Haag said.
It puts West Carrollton on a waiting list to be on the state’s Classroom Facilities Assistance Program, he has said.
Acceptance into the ELPP permits school districts estimated to be more than two years away from eligibility for CFAP “to receive a district-wide assessment and master facilities plan from” the state, according to the schools facilities commission.
The state program could also provide the vast majority of funds for a district-wide rebuilding of West Carrollton schools, all of which are at least 50 years old.
District officials have said a bond issue would be needed to be approved by voters to finance the local costs.
The state’s current rate for co-funding construction projects is 81 percent, according to the district. Locking in that rate could mean the bill for local taxpayers would be 19 cents for every dollar provided by the state.
That ratio “will not only bolster the educational opportunities and delivery methods in our district, but will add value to the community as a whole,” according to Haag.
A statement by the district indicates “even a small percentage change can make a significant financial impact. It is not anticipated the district will have a better economic opportunity to consider new construction.”
West Carrollton now has seven schools, but the board of education voted to close Frank Nicholas Elementary — built in 1957 — at the end of the year due to declining enrollment.
The one most recently built — Harold Schnell Elementary — opened in 1969 as Valley Hills School, records show.
The other six opened in 1965 or before, including C.F. Holliday in 1950, Walter Shade Early Childhood Center in 1954, and the high school in 1960, according to a history written by Dickinson T. Guiler. The most recent renovation or addition was at the high school in 1990.